India and Singapore have moved to strengthen bilateral cooperation across advanced technology, trade, connectivity, and digitisation following high-level talks in New Delhi. The discussions took place at the third India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), attended by top ministers from both countries.
Representing India were External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Singapore’s six-member delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong. It included National Security and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, and Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.
The ISMR discussions were accompanied by a session with the India Singapore Business Roundtable, aimed at fostering stronger collaboration between government and industry. Jaishankar emphasised that synergy between public policy and private enterprise is vital to unlocking the next stage of India–Singapore relations.
The first ISMR was held in New Delhi in September 2022, followed by the second in Singapore in August 2024. Bilateral relations were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore in September last year.
Singapore is India’s largest trading partner within ASEAN and a top contributor of foreign investment, external commercial borrowings, and portfolio capital. In 2024–25, it ranked as India’s sixth-largest trading partner, with imports from Singapore valued at US$21.2 billion and exports at US$14.4 billion. Over the past decade, Singapore’s annual investments in India have ranged between US$10 billion and US$15 billion, reflecting the depth of economic engagement between the two nations.
Source: Economic Times